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2020 US Open (Dane)
The '''2020 US Open '''was the 120th US Open. It was held at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York from June 18th to 21st. It was the first time the course hosted a major since the 2006 US Open. Xander Schauffele's surge up the world rankings continued. Having won the 2019 Open Championship, it was Schauffele's second major win in four starts. Though the field fared slightly better compared to the 2006 US Open hosted here, Schauffele was still over par, winning at +2 by one stroke over Tiger Woods, who choked away a two stroke lead with a triple bogey on the 18th hole on Sunday. Schauffele's win continued to soar him up the world rankings, going from 4th to 3rd in the world rankings, behind McIlroy and Koepka. Summary First Round The first round saw a tough and hard course with just three rounds under par heading into day two. The lead, at two under 68, came from Irishman Shane Lowry, the 30th ranked golfer in the world who already had a top 10 at the Masters for the season. One back sat Matt Kuchar and Tiger Woods. Everyone else, including defending champion Gary Woodland, shot even par or worse. Woodland's even par put him in a tie for 4th heading into the second round. Second Round The second round saw all under par scores regress, bringing the lead back to even par. This lead was a three way tie between Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele. Sitting one back was a group of five, including Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Casey, Masters champion Patrick Cantlay, defending US Open champion Gary Woodland, and Tiger Woods. Opening round leader Shane Lowry shot a 74 to fall to +2 and a tie for 9th place. Third Round Tiger Woods proved to be the big winner on Saturday, striking 18 straight pars for a hard round of even par 70. This proved to be enough to snag the lead at +1, one stroke ahead of Paul Casey. Two strokes behind Casey sat Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar. McIlroy, Koepka, and Lowry sat in a tie for 5th at five over par in advance of a final round for the ages at Winged Foot Golf Club. The low round of the day was a 68 from Andrew Putnam. Final Round Tiger Woods got off to an excellent start, with two birdies in the first five holes getting him to -1, the first of two occasions in which he would be under par for the tournament in the final round. This quick start also inflated his lead, with his lead inflating to three strokes over Casey & Schauffele. Woods remained solid throughout much of the round, only taking steps back on the 9th and 16th holes. He went into the final hole at Even Par, with a two stroke lead over Xander Schauffele, who was in the clubhouse already at 2 over par. His drive went out of bounds, and then into the trees on the left side, forcing a penalty drop. Now on his 5th shot, he plays onto the green, trying to set up a chance to take the match to a playoff. Leaving a 15 foot putt for double bogey, the ball rides on the edge of the hole and lips just out, being just inches from going in. Tiger looks on in frustration and taps in the triple bogey. Woods finished at +3, one stroke behind Xander Schauffele's winning score. Two strokes back from the leaders in a tie for 3rd sits Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy, and Brooks Koepka, with Casey himself standing a chance on the 18th hole only to double bogey. The day's big mover was Norwegian Viktor Hovland, who shot a 68 to reach +9 and record his first top 10 in a major. Scoring Summary Xander Schauffele's winning round proved to be turbulent, with one eagle, three birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. Tiger's round was on pace for one under 69 prior to his triple bogey on the 18th hole. Aftermath Schauffele's win at the 2020 US Open was his second major championship in the last four starts, having been the champion at the 2019 Open Championship. This win also moved him from 4th to 3rd in the world, only behind Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka.